Door furniture in the form of mechanical locks are well known as a means for securing closures that can be moved between closed and open positions. A common example of a closure is a swing door that is mounted to a frame by one or more hinges. Mechanical locks for swing doors are known and typically function by providing a shoot bolt or similar member that can be moved by means of a physical key between a locked position—in which the shoot bolt projects into a rebate or recess in the frame to prevent opening of the door—and an unlocked position—in which the shoot bolt is drawn clear of the rebate or recess to permit opening of the door. Examples of such mechanical locks include mortice locks, rim latches and multi-point locks typically found on PVC doors.
A disadvantage of such mechanical locks is that a physical key is required for their operation. Said key may be lost by the user or may not easily be to hand when the lock needs to be operated—e.g. when carrying hand baggage. Another disadvantage is that if a user wishes to permit a third party to have access through the door or other closure they must make arrangements to either delivery the physical key to the third party prior to arrival, which is inconvenient, or leave the key hidden near the door, which is insecure.